Four years to the day after students walked out of their deteriorating school building in protest, Hamilton County officials celebrated the grand opening of the new $95 million Tyner Middle-High Academy with a ribbon cutting ceremony.
The timing was intentional. On August 18, 2021, Tyner Academy students staged a walkout to protest poor conditions in their school building. Exactly four years later, students, staff, and county leaders gathered in the school’s new gymnasium to mark the completion of Hamilton County’s first high school replacement in more than three decades.
Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp praised the project as a rare example of grassroots leadership driving meaningful change.
“Today we cut the ribbon on the new Tyner Academy, the first time Hamilton County has replaced an existing high school in my lifetime,” Wamp said during the ceremony. “It’s a bet on the students and faculty of Tyner, where academic improvement has recently won the state’s highest distinction and the school’s excellence on the athletic field has made championship history.”
The journey to the new school began with a facilities crisis. A 2019 report ranked Tyner Academy and Tyner Middle Academy as the second and third worst school buildings in the county. The situation reached a breaking point the day before the 2021-22 school year when water leaks from the roof forced the closure of the 400 building, which housed Tyner’s Freshman Academy.
That prompted the student walkout, with three seniors later addressing both the Hamilton County school board and County Commission. Within days, the school board voted to approve hiring an architect to design a new school.
When construction bids came in around $17 million over budget in December 2022, district and county leaders committed to seeing the project through anyway. The school board authorized a $95 million bid for construction.
The new facility combines and replaces the former middle and high school buildings, offering significantly expanded opportunities for students. Principal Rashaad Williams highlighted the additions, including a theater, two gymnasiums, and a new football field expected to be completed by early October.
The building also houses expanded career preparation programs called Future Ready Institutes, including new pathways for audio/visual production and social work careers. Students interested in early childhood education can gain experience at an on-campus micro-center that provides childcare for Hamilton County Schools staff.
“We have something for every student in that building,” Williams said.
Hamilton County Commissioner Greg Beck, who helped champion the project, addressed students directly during the ceremony.
“What a beautiful facility, and young people, this facility proves we care about you and care about our future in you,” he said.
Karitsa Mosley Jones, the School Board member representing the district where the school is located, said the dedication was an emotional moment for her.
“Today we get not to just cut a ribbon, but to open doors to opportunity, growth and a bright future for our students,” she said.
The school was designed by MBI Companies Inc. and constructed by The Christman Company. Some work remains to be completed, including grading for fields and amenities on the east side of the campus.
The old Tyner Middle Academy building is in preliminary stages of demolition, while the former high school portion of the campus was torn down earlier this summer.
Despite the modern facilities, the school honors its history with an old plaque in the entrance hall commemorating the original Tyner High School built in 1907, before that building was destroyed by fire in 1957.
Williams closed the ceremony by emphasizing that the true measure of success lies not in the building itself, but in its occupants. “These walls represent opportunity, these classrooms represent hope, and this school represents our promise to provide every student a place where they can learn, grow and lead,” he said. “Together we will make Tyner Middle High Academy a place of excellence, respect and opportunity for generations to come.”